NEW DELHI: Microsoft has filed a case with the Delhi Police, claiming that cyber criminals working in Delhi call centres have duped over 3.3 million users since 2014.
These call centres are accused of cheating US nationals by sending them pop-ups in audio and text form, warning them of fake viruses. They alert users that their hardware and financial information such as debit and credit card data, bank accounts and other personal details will get compromised unless the user immediately contacts a number given to them by the call centre operative.
The dupe is then asked to deposit between $200-$800 to destroy the virus. Microsoft has even named a few companies in its complaint to the Cyber Cell of Delhi police. It reads, “Such false ‘pop-up messages’ are reflected/transmitted on to the computers of USA and various other English speaking individual(s) customers with the dishonest intent to dupe and cheat them. Pertinently, Microsoft does not indulge in or offer such technical support services.
The pop-up messages falsely state that the victim’s computer is infected with computer virus(es) and other security related risks if not rectified immediately, the computer would be at serious risk of getting damaged.”
Microsoft said that the “swanky call centres work mainly during the night and offer handsome salaries to executives. A senior police officer confirmed the software giant’s allegations. “They (call centres) normally pay `30,000 along with other allowances to executives who field calls from the US,” he said. Delhi Police has filed a case under IT act 66C/66D and other sections of IPC.